


Encuentro

by kannjou



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Established Relationship, First Meetings, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24330175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kannjou/pseuds/kannjou
Summary: Having grown up without a family of his own, Keith's never done well with large family gatherings. When Lance invites him over for one on their first anniversary, he's not at all sure he'll make it out with his heart in one piece.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Kudos: 55





	Encuentro

**Author's Note:**

> title is Spanish for "encounter"

On the day of his first anniversary with Lance, Keith wasn’t expecting his boyfriend to make a demanding request, and he especially wasn’t expecting that request to be an impromptu dinner with Lance’s family. Keith hated large, social gatherings. When he was a kid, his mother would sweep his long bangs from his eyes during big events like weddings and funerals. As soon as she looked away, he would comb them right back down in front of his face. That’s why a night discussing romantic pursuits, political opinions, personal aspirations and lack thereof over cuban-style _arroz con pollo_ with Lance’s parents and all of his siblings was not only unappealing, but an absolute nightmare.

“You really think this is a good idea? Me? And your large-ass family? Meeting?” Keith asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yeah, totally. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You already know they won’t like me at all. They’ll probably think I’m cold or sulky or something like that.”

“You are cold and sulky.”

\---

That night, Keith stared at his feet the entire car ride to dinner, not even bothering to glance up whenever Lance honked his horn and exchanged expletives with jaywalkers. It was only 5 pm, but all of Los Angeles was flickering with vibrant lights, as though it were the inside of a popular new club. After avoiding all of the major traffic hotspots using what Lance claimed were his stellar navigational skills, Keith took a deep breath as they pulled up to his family’s palatial, beachfront house. 

When the door swung open, Keith was met with the booming voice of Lance’s father, a stocky middle-aged man with disheveled facial hair and little crinkles by his eyes that made it look like he was always smiling. To his surprise, Lance’s siblings all came out to greet him as well. They were of various heights and ages, and seeing them made Keith feel just a little more understanding of Lance’s long, affectionate ramblings about them. He soon found himself swept up in a flurry of hearty hugs, brief back-pats, enthusiastic handshakes and reassuring smiles from each member of the large family. They were all sentiments that he felt guilty accepting. It seemed like they were meant for Lance, who hadn’t visited in months. Yet they were all directed at Keith. He was already out of his element.

“So, Keith, my boy, I take it Lance has been treating you well?” Lance’s father asked, rubbing the edge of his moustache. Dinner was progressing at what Keith assumed was a good pace and the family had been acting normal so far. 

Keith wanted, more than anything, to keep the conversation to a minimum. He certainly aimed to keep it directed away from himself. Why Lance’s father insisted on referring to him as ‘his boy’ was above him, and Keith was much more inclined to keep quiet and watch Lance’s younger siblings steal food from each other’s plates.

“Of course. Lance is great.” Keith responded, forcing a smile. He wasn’t sure what the correct response was here. Should he have given a more thought-out answer? Does it matter if he puts on pretenses or would they not really give a damn? They probably already thought of him as contrived and it wasn’t like Keith had much to say about anything anyways. At the least, it’s a better impression than “downright pessimistic,” as Lance always said.

Lance’s mother was a stout Cuban woman who Keith had only ever seen with a smile on her face. They’d met once before, when Lance first took him along to ask for her permission to date. He was a Mama’s boy through and through. Keith could understand why—the woman exuded a sense of strength wherever she went. Keith was more afraid of her than anyone else in the room. She’d ask Keith trivial questions and then scold her kids, switching between Spanish and English as though they were the same language, all while bringing a constant stream of dishes out to the dinner table. He couldn’t read her, but felt like she saw right through him. She could talk to him about anything, press him on any topic, but she was choosing not to, and Keith silently thanked her for sparing him.

“Keith, _mijo_ , try some of the stew. I added in some of Lance’s favorite spices and I think you’ll-” 

“Here, let me,” Lance cut off his mother, one hand holding the serving spoon while the other brought Keith’s bowl closer. “Keith’s not good with strong spices. I don’t think he’ll like it. He’s really skinny too! So he won't be able to finish a whole bowl. Just a little bit should be good. To get a taste, yeah?” Lance nodded, answering his own question.

“It’s a real shame nobody asked for your opinion.”

Keith froze. That came out harsher than expected. Honestly, he hadn’t intended for any of his usual snarky comebacks to come out at all over the course of the evening. He had just wanted the dinner to go smoothly. That meant leaving the house with both his body and his relationship intact, while leaving a better impression than the one he usually gave out. The private dinner party was a public space, as far as Keith was concerned. He hadn’t meant to get comfortable, and now all Keith wanted was to crawl back into the safety of his own shaggy hair and hide his reddening face.

Yet, contrary to what he’d been expecting, the room erupted in laughter. Lance’s older sisters verbally echoed the sentiment while Lance’s mother shot Keith a wink that said Lance totally deserved that. Giving into his own laugh, Keith decided it was going to be alright, despite all of the unwanted attention.

As the night progressed, the family relocated to the living room couch. Lance recounted old memories, from their early days of arguing about who would get their pilot’s license first, to their latest date at the zoo, where Keith got pissed off at the monkeys for ignoring his attempts at interspecies communication. He even brought up the time Keith thought that he could microwave cup noodles without adding water, eliciting a chorus of laughs and cheers from his family.

“Just once.” Keith muttered.

At some point, someone turned on some jazzy music and Keith found himself humiliated as Lance dragged him out to dance in front of everyone. Lance’s eldest brother and second youngest sister argued over who could strum along to the tune. Keith found himself quickly swallowed up by the ambience. Part of him longed for the privacy of their shared apartment and the comfort of his bed, a place far from here where social interaction was unnecessary and he could quietly take refuge in Lance’s arms under the covers. For now though, he could put up with science trivia and off-key karaoke. He was even starting to admit that he could feel it. The warmth of having a big family, that is.

Snuggled up next to Lance on his giant family couch, Keith let his eyes travel to the countless childhood pictures on the walls. They were hanging from clothespins, attached to strings of tiny white Christmas lights that were taped to the navy-blue wallpaper of the tall living-room walls. Keith felt like a history of way more than just 24 years covered that wall. There were two or three rows of Lance’s photos near the bottom. Images of a sunburned little kid with a fistful of cake, missing front teeth, and a bad haircut brought out a soft chuckle. He’d have to ask for copies later, if only to tease his partner. Above those, however, were rows upon rows of unfamiliar faces. Aunts and uncles, second and third cousins, the grandfathers of grandfathers—the list of Lance’s relatives could go on and on.

“You really do have a big family,” Keith said under his breath, loud enough for only Lance to hear.

“Yeah, no kidding,” he paused. “It doesn’t bother you though, right?”

Keith shook his head softly, “No. It’s just funny, you know? We’ve been together a year, and it still surprises me how different we are.”

Lance didn’t reply, but Keith could feel his arm tighten around him and see his fingers fidget with the edge of his sleeve.

“Dessert’s here!” Lance’s mother set two pies out on the coffee table and turned back to grab silverware from the kitchen. “Answer the door when _Abuela_ gets here,” she commanded the eldest. Keith tried to keep track of each sibling’s name. This one’s Marco, he thought.

“ _Abuela’s_ coming?” Lance’s head snapped towards his mother, “You never mentioned that she’d be coming.”

“Of course she’s coming! She was the most excited to meet Keith, after all. It’s a shame she got caught up in traffic.”

“She really didn’t need to come all this way,” Lance muttered, earning a stern look from both of his parents.

“What’s the matter with you? You love _Abuela_.”

Keith nodded in agreement. Even he knew how important Lance’s grandmother was to him. At times, he was honestly jealous of how much he seemed to appreciate her.

“It’s nothing,” Lance said. Keith could tell he was just acting cool. He had a habit of tugging at the edge of his clothes whenever he was nervous, as though they were constricting him. It was something Keith picked up on three months into their relationship, but he’d never said anything about it. He was afraid of making Lance hyperaware of the detail, and then Keith would be left with no way of deciphering his true feelings.

Not even ten minutes later, Lance’s grandmother arrived with the kind of presence you’d expect from a pop icon. The whole room rushed to the door to greet her. If Keith thought his welcome was loud, her entrance was deafening. To say he was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

It took what felt like another ten minutes for the commotion to settle down. As they all gathered back around the couch, it felt silent. Or as silent as it could be for a group of ten. Excited whispers still lingered, but they dissipated once Lance’s grandmother began to speak. As a large woman with a deep voice and slight accent, she seemed to command attention easily. She turned in her seat to address Lance, who had returned to his spot next to Keith.

“Lancey-Lance!” she boomed. Keith tried to keep his smile from falling. Lance had always gotten annoyed when he tried to give him a nickname or tease him with “Lancey-Lance”.

“Your girlfriend’s beautiful,” she continued, “but I can’t believe you didn’t invite her family over! I thought I taught you better. They should have joined us!”

Keith felt his entire body sink. This was the sort of nightmare that he’d filed away under “never gonna happen in a million years” except suddenly it’s been a million and one years and this woman just put the two scariest questions together in one sentence: his sexuality and his family. 

“He’s my boyfriend, _Abuela_ ,” Lance wasn’t even trying to hide his frustration, “His name is Keith, and he’s my beautiful boyfriend, not girlfriend.”

“Right, right,” she waved him off, as if it was a simple mistake.

“Where are you from, Keith? How’d you meet Lance? How are your parents doing? Have you visited them recently? Lancey-Lance, you never visit me anymore!”

The questions were coming faster than Keith could process them. His throat felt sore and he desperately wanted to reach for the hot tea on the table, but he swallowed a couple times instead. All eyes were focused on him, including Lance’s worried ones. Keith gave him a little nod before responding.

“I’m from San Diego. I, uh, was in the same unit as Lance at the academy. I don’t have a dad. Or at least, I don’t know of one. Mom’s, um, she’s gone,” his voice trails off, and he’s unsure of whether to continue.

The room fell completely quiet, and most of the group lowered their gaze. The ticks of the clock on the wall sounded way louder than before, and Keith simply listened to them as he waited for someone to say something. Lance’s grandmother looked like she’s been struck speechless for the first time in her life, and Lance himself rubbed circles against Keith’s knuckles. Keith wasn’t sure which one of them he was trying to keep calm.

“Lance!” his mother broke the silence, “you never tell us anything anymore. Listen here, Keith, you’re with Lance and we’re part of the package. You need anything, you let me know. Got that?”

Keith nodded.

“Good! And Lance, you better keep this boy clothed and fed or I’m going to visit you every Friday night.”

“Mom, that’s the worst possible night,” Lance groaned back. With some more playful bickering and several slices of pie, the atmosphere returned to normal. Keith knew the transition was forced, but he wasn’t nearly as uncomfortable as he’d expected. He didn’t speak up much for the rest of the evening, but he still laughed at dumb jokes and paid attention to the conversation. Every so often, Lance would give his hand a squeeze. He wanted to tell him he didn’t need it, because this was the first time since his mother’s passing that he didn’t feel like he was being thrown a pity-party. It was refreshing.

“So, how was it?” Lance asked, leading Keith back out to the car. It was late now, and the wind had picked up, turning the California breeze from a friend into an enemy.

“I thought it was going pretty well, until, you know. I really don’t think I was able to impress your grandmother.”

“Why would you need to impress her?”

He left the question unanswered, hanging in the air between them.

\---

Keith had paid his mother a long overdue visit, just a few months before she passed. They didn’t talk about much. It was mostly idle chatter about school, recent projects, and meals he’d learned to cook. But when he brought up his growing interest in Lance, as well as his worries about starting a new relationship, one thing she said stuck with him.

_Each new person you encounter brings their whole life with them. If you’re going to share your present with them, shouldn’t you be prepared to share your past, or your future with them too?_

As night turned to day, Keith curled back up in the passenger seat of the car as Lance fiddled with the key in the ignition. He let his mind wander from missing his mother to worrying about how long Lance’s family would be able to keep up the “accepting of anyone and everyone” act. He didn’t doubt their sincerity, but he did doubt their patience.

Once the roar of the engine was finally heard, the pair clicked their seatbelts and paused to eye each other. Lance took a deep breath and began to drive. They were both visibly tense for a while, and Keith was starting to fear that he’d done something to make their night even more awkward, though he wasn’t sure what. Eventually, Lance turned his head and gave him a sheepish smile, as though it were any other drive on any other night.

“That totally could’ve gone worse, right?”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this around the time season 5 aired, hence the vagueness/inconsistencies with canon regarding Lance's family. I wanted to make this more angsty at first but then I ended up just wanting my boy Keith to be happy. Let me know what you thought!


End file.
